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- The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ felt that appropriate prayers directed toward the sun would evoke a divine response. (See Jesus' words to the king of Kashmir.)
They believed in both divination and the powers of prophecy. They believed in the power of occult formulas, or mantras, as well as esoteric rituals, and practiced theory (spiritual "magic") with them, and also believed in astrology, cast horoscopes, and made "magical" amulets of plants and gems according to astrological aspects. They also believed that angels had taught Moses the practice of herbalism, and that miraculous cures were natural extensions of authentic spiritual life.
They would wear only white clothes as a sign that they worshipped God Who is Light and were clothed by Him in light. This so provoked the other Israelites that praying in white clothing was prohibited by the Pharisees and Sadducees, and laws were : drafted accordingly. They also observed the identical rules of purity (shuddhi) as the Brahmins in India at that time, especially in the matter of bathing frequently.
Moreover they practised the strictest adherence to truthfulness, and it should also be noted that most of these Brahminical practices were observed by Buddhists as well, so it is not out of place to consider that the Essenes-and Jesus and His disciples possessed the qualities of both Hindu and Buddhist religions.
From all this, according to Gandhi, we can see why Edersheim states that “In respect of doctrine, life, and worship, it [the Essene community] really stood outside Judaism." As a result of these differences from ordinary Judaism, the Essenes lived totally apart from their fellow Hebrews, usually in separate communities or in communal houses in the towns and cities. (The supposed "communal experiment" in the book of Acts was really a continuation of the Essene way of life. The Last Supper took place in just such an Essene "house.")
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